Automobile driving-gear.



PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

.R. S. MUINTYRE.

V AUTOMOBILE DRIVING GEAR.

APPLIGATION' FILED FEB. 23, 1905.

2 sums-51mm 1.

/NI /ENTOR Jloert A? ./i[ 1515911."

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS 0.. WASHINGTON, n. c

No. 858,202. PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

' R. S. MOINTYRE.

AUTOMOBILE DRIVING GEAR. APPLICATION FILED IEB.23, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ROBERT SAFFORD MoINTYRE, or RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA,

Q U-E DR!V N AR-.

Specification of Letters Ba tent Baten edleee 2 907-.

Application filed February 23,1905. Serial No. 2f16,891.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT SAFFoRD Mo- INTYRE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Riverside, in the county of Riverside andState of California, have invented a new and Improved AutomobileDriving- Gear, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates particularly though not necessarily, to ,a meansfor driving motor vehicles, in which a countershaft is employed,connected with the engine or motor by certain means for driving theshaft and for changing the direction of revolution, and connected withthe rear or other traction wheels of the vehicle by means of chainsrunning over sprockets on the countershaft and other sprocketsconnected. with said traction wheels.

The invention involves various other features of major or minorimportance, all of which will be fully set forth hereinafter and pointedout in the claims.

Reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings illustrating asan example the preferred embodiment of my invention, in which drawingslike characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views,and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a motor ve hicle equippedwith my improvements; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the countershaft andthe supporting hangers with parts on the shaft in section; Fig.3 is aview showing the countershaft in section and illustrating one of thepeculiar hangers for theshaft; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is asectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 2 Fig. 7 is a side view of theclutch mechanism on the motor shaft; Fig. 8 is a side view of the clutchcollar, and Fig. 9 is an inner face view of one of the sprocket wheels.Referring particularly to Fig. 1, the body 10 of the vehicle is supposedto carry the motor, the shaft of which is indicated by the broken lines11 in said figure. Said body is supported by springs or other means 12on the front and rear axles which carry the front wheels 14 and rearwheels 15, as shown. These wheels, according to the preferred embodimentof my invention, are provided with flat tires and do not necessitate theuse of the rubber tires now commonly employed.

The shaft 11 is provided with sprocket wheels16 and 17 a loosely mountedthereon and the inner faces of the sprocket wheels are provided withV-shaped recesses 16 and 17 adapted to be alternately engaged bycorrespondingly shaped projections 11 on the opposing faces of a collar11" mounted to slide on the shaft 11 but to turn therewith. On thecollar 11 is a band 11 with which an operating lever 11 engages and bymeans of which the collar can be slid upon the shaft to cause itsprojections to enter the recesses of either of the sprocket wheels tolock the same to the shaft. Sprocket chains 16 and 17 pass around thesprocket wheels 16 and 17 a and also around sprocket wheels carried by acounter shaft 18, as hereinafter described. This counter shaft isrevolubly mounted in boxes 19 which are sustained by threaded hangerrods 20. Preferably, three rods 20 are applied to each box 19, and theserods are screwed into the boxes and into suitable socket nuts 21attached to the body 10 of the vehicle, or to any other desired orconvenient part. The threaded rods 20 are provided with hexagonalportions 22 for the application of a wrench by which the boxes may beadjusted so as to hold the boxes in any desired position. Fitted looselyon the shaft 18 at any convenient point thereon between the boxes 19 isa sleeve 23, to which two sprocket or other gears 24 and 25 arefastened. These gears are located intermediate the ends of the sleeveand are respectively engaged by the sprocket chains 17 and 16, so thatthe sleeve 23 is revolubly driven from one or the other of said chainsaccording to which is in motion derived from the engine shaft 11.

26 indicates a collar which is splined on the sleeve 23, and which isprovided with a beveled outer face and with an annular groove. Theannular groove is adapted to receive the pins 27 of a forked arm 28.Said arm is pivotally mounted on the body 10 by a bracket 29 orequivalent means, and is connected with an arm 30, which facilitates theoperation of the arm 28, so as to slide the collar 26 on the sleeve 23,said collar rotating continuously with the sleeve and the shaft 18.Con.- nected to the collar 26 are rods 31 which slide loosely throughthe sprocket wheels 24 and 25 parallel with the shaft 18 and sleeve 23,and which are fastened to a collar 32 having a beveled outer facesimilar to the beveled face on the collar 26. The beveled face of thecollar 26 coacts with elbo w levers 33 which are joined to radial rods34 carrying clutch shoes 35 at their outer ends. Said rods slide freelyin bearings 36 secured to or formed integral with a disk 37 which isfastened to one end of the shaft 18. The clutch shoes 35 coact with theperiphery of a clutch disk 38, fastened securely to the shaft 18. Thebeveled face of the collar 32 coacts with elbow levers 37, fulcrumed onthe sleeve 23 and articulated to radial rods 38 carrying clutch shoes 39at their outer ends. The rods 38 slide in bearings 40 carried by a disk41, fastened to the end of the sleeve 23 oppo site the end bearing thedisk 38. The clutch shoes 39 coact with the smooth periphery of aninternal gear 41. This gear 41 is loosely mounted on the shaft 18 and itis in mesh with an intermediate pinion 42, carried loosely on a studshaft 43 mounted in an eX- tension 19 of the adjacent box 19. The pinion42 also engages a spur gear 44 fastened to the shaft 18. The sleeve 23rotates continuously in one direction under the action of the movementimparted thereto through either the sprocket 24 or sprocket 25. Throwingthe lever 28 rightward (referring to Fig. 2) the collar 26 will becaused to move inward the shoes 35 and engage the same with the disk 38so as to drive the shaft 18 in the direction corresponding to that inwhich the sleeve 23 is rotating, the speed of the shaft being the sameas that of the sleeve. By reversing the movement of the lever 28 thecollar 26 is disengaged from the lever 33 and the collar 32 acts on thelevers 37 to fasten the internal gear 41 so that it turns with thesleeve 23 and by the action of the intermediate gear 42 and spur gear 44the shaft 18 is rotated reversely with respect to the direction ofrotation of the sleeve and at a slower speed. The movement firstdescribed is that intended to drive the vehicle ahead, and the seconddescribed movement is intended to drive the vehicle rearward. The arm 30connected with the lever 28, may be actuated by any desired means. Asshown in Fig. 1, I prefer to provide a connection 45 extending from saidarm to a shaft 46 which passes loosely through a column 47 carrying thehollow steering shaft 48. dicates a hand wheel for operating the shaft46, and 50 indicates the steering wheel which operates the shaft 48.

At each end the shaft 18 carries a gear wheel, the periphery of which isformed with a groove 51, at each side of which groove is arranged a rowof teeth 52. wheels are adapted to carry a traction chain 53. Said chainpasses around driving sprockets attached to the rear or traction wheels15 of the vehicle.

These gear foot lever 62, as shown in Fig, 1. This shoe 59 bears on thesprocket 55 between the runs of the chain, the chain and brake shoeoperating on the sprocket simultaneously but in dependently of eachother. If desired, a brake shoe may be provided at each side of thevehicle.

' In the operation of the apparatus, the shaft 11 is driven from theengine and the chains 16 and 17 are driven from said shaft through themedium of any desired gearing for throwing one or the other chain intoac.

tion, as desired, and for driving the same at any desired speed. In thismanner the sleeve 23 is continuously rotated in one direction and at aspeed which may be varied at will. By throwing the collar 26 intoactizm, the countershaft 18 and consequently the traction wheels of thevehicle may be rotated to drive the vehicle ahead, and by throwing thecollar 32 into action this movement may be reversed, thus reversing thedirection of the movement of the vehicle. Transmission in eitherdirection may be arrested by throwing the collars 32 and 26 intointermediate positions, such as shown, for example, in Fig.2 of thedrawings, so that the sleeve 23 rotates freely on the shaft 18 withoutimparting movement thereto.

My invention further provides for impart ing to the sleeve continuousmovement in one direction at any desired speed, and for driving thecountershaft 18 and the traction wheels of the vehicle from this sleeveeither forward or backward, or for arresting all movement of thecountershaft, according to the desire of the driver of the vehicle.These operations taking place between the sleeve and countershaft, arecontrolled entirely by the forked lever 38 and its connections. Thebrake may be operated at will by pressing on the treadle 62.-

Having thus described the preferred form of my invention, what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination with a support of a revolubly driven sleeve, acountershaft 011 which the sleeve is loosely carried, a clutch memberfastened to the shaft at one end of the sleeve, an internal gear clutchmember loose on the shaft at the other end of the sleeve, a gearingconnecting said internal gear, clutch member with the shaft to drive theshaft reversely with respect to the direction of rotation of the clutchmember, clutch members carried by the sleeve and coacting respectivelywith the first named clutch members, means for alternately throwing thelast named members into action, a driven element and means forconnecting the shaft with said element.

2. The combination with a support of a revolubly driven sleeve, arevoluble countershaft on which the sleeve is loosely mounted, a clutchmember fastened to the shaft at one IIO end of the sleeve, a clutchmember carried by said end of the sleeve and coacting with the firstnamed clutch member, a collar sliding on the sleeve and adapted toactuate the clutch member of the sleeve, means for operating the collar,a second collar connected to the first collar to move in unisontherewith, a third clutch member loosely mounted on the countershaft,means connecting the third clutch member with the countershaft to drivethe shaft rcversely with respect to the direction of rotation of saidclutch member, a fourth clutch member carried on the sleeve, means foroperating the fourth clutch member from the second named collar, adriven element, and means connecting the driving element with saiddriven element.

3. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a source of power, of acounter-shaft revolubly mounted on the vehicle, a sleeve loosely mountedon the counter-shaft, means for driving the sleeve at varying speed fromthe source of power, means for driving the counter-shaft from the sleevein either direction, and devices adapted to connect the counter-shaftwith the traction wheels of the vehicle.

4. The combination with a support, of a shaft, a sleeve loosely mountedthereon, means for driving the sleeve at varying speed, and means fordriving the shaft from the sleeve in either direction.

5. The combination with a support, of a shaft, a sleeve loosely mountedthereon, means for driving the sleeve at vvarying speed, said meansincluding gears of different diameter secured to the sleeve, and meansfor driving the shaft from the sleeve in either direction.

6. The combination with a support, of a rotary shaft mounted therein, asleeve loose on the shaft, means for revolubly driving the sleeve, aclutch for directly connecting the sleeve and shaft to drive the latterfrom the former, an internal gear loose on the shaft, a clutch forconnecting said gear with the sleeve, an intermediate gear meshed withthe internal gear, and a third gear meshed with the intermediate gearand fixed to the shaft.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT SAFFORD MCINTYRE.

itnesses c CHARLES E. IvEs, RosE L. RIOHEY.

